What You’ve Missed

It’s All About Zo

Today, I’m going to talk about one of the reasons I am here in Atlanta, one of the reasons for this blog…my love: Lorenzo.

Lorenzo and I were introduced by a mutual friend in December of 2010, about 6 months after I returned to the States from my tour in Iraq. My friend Tia called me up one night and asked me how I felt about long distance relationships. I had been in a place where I didn’t mind having someone to talk to, but I didn’t want to actually date someone so I thought that it couldn’t hurt. I was living in New Jersey and he was living in New Mexico.

We used to talk on the phone for hours when we were first introduced, after a few months it was a combination of both phone and web chats. We exchanged pictures, talked all night every night. He told me about his goals, his family, his military career, his childhood, and the things he wanted for his civilian career and his life. We connected to each other through our words. In April of 2011 we had our first date in Chicago.

It was after we spent that weekend together that I knew I wanted to be with him. He is intelligent, sophisticated, ambitious, realistic, mature, humble, and a leader. He isn’t easily influence by the actions of others, he makes his own decisions and doesn’t let the silliness of other things going on in the world get in the way of his goals. He values himself, doesn’t tolerate disrespect from others.

Lorenzo was born and raised in South Carolina, just outside of Myrtle Beach. He is the 6th of 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls. He has 14 nieces and nephews, but no children of his own. Whenever someone asked when he and I were going to have our own kids, his reply is, “Kids? With an ‘s’? That’s plural.” He went to college in Atlanta, and has also lived in Washington D.C., and Albuquerque. Right now he is working as a contractor for the CDC. He’s a talented artist, plays basketball, likes to travel, try new restaurants and loves seafood…especially snow crab legs, and has a thing for Cole Haan shoes.

We’ve been living together for over a year now and things are peaceful in our home. The man I fell in love with over the phone is the same man I wake up to every day. Our regular conversations include wedding planning, purchasing a home, how to start a business, idiotic things our exes did, idiotic things everyone does, and how we would take care of our families if we ever won the lottery. He normally speaks near perfect English, that is…until he’s talking to either his mom or this brother…then the southern accent comes out and he tells stories about how he grew up playing in the woods and chopping down trees.

He’s romantic, generous, charming, and I can’t wait to marry him, have his last name, and build my life with him.